Post Sees Bigger Downtown Crime Rise than NYPD Does

You may have been following our new Somebody Got Murdered series, which notes every New York homicide as it occurs. Those have been coming at a brisk clip. But murder isn't our only problem. Now the New York Post reports a "violent crime wave" in "trendy downtown" -- that is, precincts representing the East and West Villages, the Lower East Side, Gramercy Park, and Tribeca report large upticks in assaults versus the first months of last year. (A smaller rise is noted in Center/West Midtown.) A deputy police commissioner attributes this "largely to the neighborhoods' huge restaurant and bar scenes, which attract large numbers of late-night revelers." (A poster at cop board Thee Rant scoffs: "I wonder how well this excuse would be received if given by a CO at coNstat?")

The obvious answer is to stop having fun, or have it at home. You might think this would apply, then, to hipsterrific Williamsburg as well. A quick check of the crime stats in the 90th precinct shows crime complaints down year-to-date -- though for the most recently reported week, May 4-10, burglary, grand larceny, and grand larceny auto are up versus the same week last year.

The Post is apparently using something other than CompStat figures, though: the latest for the East Village's 9th Precinct shows crime reports only up 4.44 percent year-to-date, and murders at zero. Reported rapes are up from three to five, robberies from 63 to 66, and felony assaults from 47 to 60, but this doesn't account for the 42.9 percent jump in "violent crime" this Post is reporting.